The present invention relates to a collar system incorporated into a firefighter's coat. Such coats include an outer shell having a body portion and a collar portion. It is necessary to ensure that water-tight integrity is maintained at the juncture of the outer shell and the collar portion thereof to prevent the firefighter from getting wet when fighting fires wherein copious amounts of water are used which may splash onto the coat.
Another problem which occurs with firefighter's coats is that the thermal liners employed with such coats must be thoroughly washed and dried independently of the outer shell in order to provide a coat which is comfortable to use in firefighting operations. Accordingly, it is highly desirable to provide a liner which is removable from the shell and collar so as to enable cleaning protocols to be carried out.
Therefore, it is an objective of the invention to provide a coat which provides water-tight integrity at the juncture of the body portion of the shell and the collar portion of the coat, while providing a construction which permits a separate thermal liner to be removed from the body portion and the collar portion to be washed and dried when desired.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,507,806 discloses a construction wherein the collar portion of the coat is permanently secured to the thermal liner, and the collar portion is removably secured to an annular tab at the upper part of the body portion of the outer shell by hook and loop fastening means. This construction does not provide water-tight integrity between the collar portion and the annular tab. Furthermore, the liner cannot be separately washed and dried, but since the collar portion is permanently secured to the thermal liner, it is necessary to disconnect both the liner and collar portion from the body portion of the shell, and the liner and collar portion must be washed and dried together which is undesirable.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,604,759 discloses a construction wherein the outer shell, the collar portion, the thermal liner and a waterproof interliner are all permanently interconnected with one another by stitching. This arrangement provides water-tight integrity at the juncture of the outer shell and the collar portion, but the liner cannot be separated and individually washed and dried. Accordingly, the structure of this patent cannot accomplish the desired objectives of the present invention.